Mrs. Thompson, known in her earlier life as Prudence Muzzall, was born in England, Dec. 28, 1815, came to America with her mother, sister, and brother in 1836, and was married to Mr. L.W. Thompson in 1839, was baptized in 1846, became a resident of Crown Point in 1867, (where for some years she kept the Crown Point greenhouse, being always fond of flowers and plants) leaving Crown Point about 1882 and residing for a few years in Hammond and then in South Chicago, (where her two sons Henry and Albert Thompson and their families were living) she returned with her husband to Hammond and closed her days in the home of her only daughter, the first born of her children. She was in early womanhood the possessor of excellent qualities of mind and heart, winning the respect and esteem of those with whom she was associated, and as wife and mother and in later years the grandmother of several children, she proved herself worthy of large respect and regard. Like the "virtuous woman" mentioned in Proverbs, her children well may call her blessed, her husband also well may praise her. As a Christian and a church member she was not fitful or impulsive, nor was she emotional or demonstrative in her religious life, but an everyday, steady, growing Christian; letting her life, her actions, her patient performance of home duties, her meek and quiet spirit, her attendance at the church meetings and her earnest words there, her interest in her pastor's welfare, her gifts of flowers for the pulpit stand, her patient continuance in well-doing, all testify for her of the spirit of love and of trust dwelling within. She died as such may be expected to die, calmly trusting, and patiently waiting for the hour of release from bodily sufferings, looking forward to the bright home in Paradise.
Religious services were conducted by her pastor on Sunday afternoon in Hammond in the presence of her relatives and Hammond friends, the Baptist choir of Hammond kindly coming in and singing some of those beautiful Gospel-Hymn songs; and burial services were held in Crown Point on Monday, Sept. 26, after which the body was laid away to rest in the Crown Point cemetery.
Mrs. Thompson was the fourteenth member of the North Street Baptist church taken away by death; so far as could be ascertained she was the oldest Baptist member in Lake County; (she came first to Cedar Lake with the Ball family, pioneer Baptists, in 1837), and for a moment there stood beside her pastor and near her lifeless form the youngest Baptist member in Lake County, little sister Gracie, of Griffith, nine years of age, full of life and love, baptized with ten others this year at Griffith, while the pastor of them both made the illustrated point that the children and youth were coming to fill up the broken ranks in the "sacramental hosts of God's elect," who were pressing on to win and hold this world for Christ.
At the burial it was an attractive incident that young Edith Thompson of South Chicago and little Gracie of Griffith stood, separated from their friends, beside the open grave into which the bright autumn sun was shining and watched with the engrossing and peculiar interest of two such young children the filling up of the grave by the sexton, while words of cheer were spoken to them both.
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